Food storytelling is culinary biography. A deep dive into history, memory, geography, ancestry and nostalgia through flavours, textures, ingredients and creative interpretations of dishes that hold personal meaning.
To demonstrate food storytelling in action, below you’ll find the ‘food stories’ behind a recent menu I designed for an old friend, complete with punny dish titles, flavour profiles and chef’s notes.
I first met Patti when we both graced the stage in our community theatre production of Hello, Dolly, almost 25 years ago. Like that musical boasts: “It only takes a moment to be loved your whole life long.“
Unquestionably, these words could not be more true for her and her group of close friends aptly named “Play Group” after the way they all met in a group for new mothers, also 25 years ago. They remain a closely knit community to this day.
Significantly, Patti shares: “Our friendship has experienced many joys; finishing marathons, celebrating professional successes, sharing good fortune, supporting one another through the challenges of divorce, betrayal, the loss of a child, cancer, mental illness, and loss of family members. I want to feed their souls like they have fed mine when I was unable to and I know that you can help me do that.“
I was deeply honoured to be asked. Here is the custom menu I designed ‘food storytelling’ the story of Play Group. I only wish I’d taken more photos!
Welcome Cocktail:
The Green Dress Gimlet: Sugar-Muddled Celery, Lime Zest & Juice, Lime Tanqueray, Tonic
Patti shared an anecdote about how everyone in their group of 10 once tried on the same green dress. I loved how this single item took on a ‘Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants‘ quality, highlighting how one item could bring out a different expression in each group member.
Chef’s Notes: I served these sparkling green beauties in little fluted champagne flutes, which looked like upside down dresses themselves! One broke accidentally and I once again thanked the thrift store goddesses of Kitchener, who only charged $1 per glass because I have already broken 3 others.
When asked what kind of restaurant their group would be, Patti replied: “An independently owned pub with with great small plates and awesome patio, heated blankets, no bugs and great views…free warm chips and salsa.”
With this in mind, I thought it would be fun to create three custom sharing dips for them to dig into while they sipped on their cocktails. What I love about food storytelling is that the stories themselves dictate the dishes served, not vice versa!
The Starters:
Florida Salsa & Hot Chips: Supremed Florida Oranges and Grapefruits, Lime Zest and Juice, Red Onion, Cilantro, Green Chilis, Tortilla Chips
Play Group has traveled to Florida many times, it’s become a bit of a sanctuary for them. This salsa was meant to taste like the feeling you get when you step out into the sunshine when it’s otherwise ‘extremely February’ in Ontario. Shoulders relax, play time begins!
Chef’s Notes: Fun fact – it took me a full half hour to supreme all the citrus for this salsa. This is called food storytelling, but it is also called love. Full of the tropical sunset colours of citrus, punctuated by the creamy green of the avocado and bolder green of the cilantro, this pretty dip didn’t even last long enough to take a photo! Worth it, though. I think it was the crowd favourite!
Reuben Kincaid Dip: Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Caramelized Onion, Garlic, Russian Dressing, Sour Cream, Mayo & Cream Cheese, Cubes of Pumpernickel Rye Bread
The ladies of Play Group play a guessing game similar to “Celebrity” they call “Reuben Kincaid”, after someone put his name into the bowl. Who is Reuben Kincaid? Why, the producer of the Partridge Family! I thought he was great inspiration for a dip, as the game brings the group much joy and laughter.
Chef’s Notes: The flavour profile is that of a classic Reuben deli sandwich, in dip form, which I thought was suitably cheeky, especially since partridge is a bit trickier of an ingredient to come by. The dark cubes of pumpernickel bread were perfect vessels for this creamy, unctuous concoction that perfumed the entire house with the tantalizing smell of hot cheese. I served it in a cast-iron pan, which made the edges delightfully crispy.
‘Hummusdinger’ Roasted Chestnut & Crispy Bacon Hummus: Roasted Chestnuts, Chickpeas, Lemon Juice, Tahini, Cumin, Olive Oil, Crisp-Fried Thick Cut Bacon, Chives & Parsley
Play Group loves a games night, with an inside joke favourite being the Cranium game “Hummdinger” where players are meant to hum tunes while teammates guess the song. Regrettably, Linda can’t hum. Like: at all. Much laughter ensues at her attempts. However, what she lacks in humming talent, Linda makes up for with her signature bacon-wrapped chestnuts she brings to gatherings. This is a ‘hum’mus based on those flavours.
Chef’s Notes: My signature plating style for most dips is to spread it thinly in a shallow platter, to allow for more surface for textured toppings and to act as a form of blank canvas to sprinkle upon. All the better to spread you with crispy bits of bacon and fresh herbs, my dear. Did I personally peel the skin off each chickpea to ensure ample creaminess? Yes, I did. Thank goodness for good audiobooks for company!
The Main Course:
‘A New Spring for these Autumn Gals’ Lemony Pasta Primavera with Crispy Onions & Basil Pistachio Gremolata: Linguine, Lemon, Heavy Cream, Soffritto, Garlic, Zucchini, Red Pepper, Peas, Fresh Basil, Toasted Pistachio, Lemon Zest, Crispy Onions
While they have been witnesses to every stage of life since early motherhood, the Play Group gals are now in their ‘Third Act’. Patti writes: “Thanks to menopause we are experiencing new challenges, but we still continue to show up, be present and support each other. For this reason we celebrate, all of it, all of its messiness.” What might be called the Autumn of one’s life is instead reinterpreted as a new Spring. Hence, a typical Spring Pasta full of Autumn vegetables, the tangle of noodles echoing the ways in which our lives as women are intertwined in the ‘mess’ of it all.
Chef’s Notes: Sometimes when cooking at other people’s homes, I have to get creative with vessels, especially if I need bigger ones to feed a crowd. This bright and colourful pasta had the honour of being served in the large pan that usually roasts Patti’s holiday turkeys! I figure it enjoyed the change of pace.
Artichoke & Fennel Braised ‘Golf Ball’ Meatballs: Ground Turkey, Herbed Breadcrumbs, Garlic, Shallot, Egg, Artichokes, Sliced Fennel, Tomatoes & Housemade Stock
For Play Group, one of their favourite shared activities is golfing together. There is nothing you can’t get off your chest out on the green. The meatballs, deliberately golf ball sized, simmered for hours in a tasty braising liquid. Good things take time, like golf games, braising, and this level of deep friendship.
Chef’s Notes: Patti lives in a century farmhouse that still boasts some of the original dishware from the early 1800s. We dusted off two gorgeous antique lidded tureens with an Asian-inspired motif hand painted on them. I washed them like one might wash a newborn, singing “We’ve got elegance, we’ve got built in elegance…“
“Sliced Too Thin” Celery & Apple Salad with Parmesan Petals, Roasted Maple Rosemary Pecans & Lemony Vinaigrette: Celery, Honeycrisp Apple, Lemon, Olive Oil, Mustard, Garlic, Pecans, Rosemary, Maple Syrup, Parmesan
Patti writes: “My playgroup nickname is Phat which equals cool and awesome and one time we had a contest whereby the one who lost the most weight in a month would win. Everyone remembers me saying, ‘I don’t need to participate because I’m thin enough’, so they called me phat.” This salad is a nod to this story (typical ‘diet food’ ingredients paired with ‘phat’ ingredients) but also echoes the ways in which members have been ‘sliced too thin’ during challenging times, but the group stood behind each and cumulatively became greater than the sum of its parts, making the ‘thin times’ all the richer for it.
Chef’s Notes:
Mandoline: 1
Sonja’s “I never get cuts when I mandoline”: 0
First Aid Kit: -1 bandaid
The Dessert:
Pine Pots de Creme with Maple Moonshine Whipped Cream and Chocolate Shards: Pine Syrup, Heavy Cream, Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla Bean Paste, Maple Moonshine, Dark Chocolate, Flaky Salt
The Play Group ladies spent much quality time at one another’s cottages for weekends full of laughter, real talk, good food and time spent outdoors. Nothing is more cottage-y than the scent of sun on pine, and this dessert echoes the richness of those weekends away. The chocolate shard pierces the creamy dessert, just like life has ways of disrupting out of the blue, but the creamy goodness can hold it, like Play Group holds its members whenever one of them is struggling. The maple moonshine is from a local distillery in Perth, ON, and a favourite group libation.
Chef’s Notes: For anyone wondering how I got the pine flavour in there, it’s a common Polish delicacy! I found pine syrup, studded with young green cones, in my local Polish deli. Super high in Vitamin C, too!
I loved the story of this meal, and the ways in which I was privy to the love of this group of women from how they interacted at our dinner. You could feel the years of love and playfulness in the room, and the deep respect they all had for one another. Mostly I heard laughter (the belly kind) from the other room, except for that one time where everyone moaned deeply between pockets of silence after I brought out the dessert. It was an honour to play with food storytelling to help Play Group taste this love, and celebrate it!
Which story of yours deserves Food Storytelling?
I’d love to hear it! Whether it’s celebrating a brand, a personal or professional milestone, or the culture of your favourite group of people, learn more about bringing me into your kitchen to cook it here.